Possible good news about that mystery illness that’s been spreading through the dog population. A California woman’s 5 year old Golden Retriever, Ike, started with a small cough, but it progressed into a high fever and bad pneumonia. He ended up in a vet hospital and it wasn’t looking like he was going to make it. Becky, who was desperate to save her pup hear about an antibiotic called chloramphenicol that some thought might be a potential treatment. But when she mentioned it to the vet, he thought it was too strong. But, they gave it a shot as a last ditch effort. Becky says that after 12 hours of the first dose, Ike was able to be removed from oxygen and then went home and back to his old self now.
Again, vets say the antibiotic is super powerful and should only be used when every other option has been tried. It’s so strong, humans aren’t supposed to let it touch their skin. The best thing you can do is preventative measures like vaccinations and keeping your dogs away from large gatherings of dogs. Vets are still unsure what exactly this new illness is or how it’s spread.